Divers near the Hawaiian island of Oahu made a rare discovery over the weekend, capturing close-up photographs of what’s believed to be the largest great white shark ever recorded in history. The predator — nicknamed “Deep Blue” and estimated to be 50-years-old — weighs in at 2.5 tons. Mark Mohler and Kimberly Jeffries saw the shark feasting on a dead sperm whale on Sunday, boldly swimming alongside the seven-metre giant and capturing stunning pictures of the experience.

Conservationists on Monday slammed the baiting and killing of sharks at a popular Great Barrier Reef tourist spot after two swimmers were attacked, saying the policy was brutal and indiscriminate. Queensland state authorities deployed drumlines — which use baited hooks to catch the predators — at the Whitsunday Islands after two tourists were mauled in separate incidents a day apart last week. Hannah Papps, 12, and 46-year-old Justine Barwick, who were bitten on their legs, remain in hospital.

A body surfer has died after being bitten by a shark in the waters off Cape Cod in the first fatal attack seen in the US state of Massachusetts for more than 80 years. Arthur Medici, a 26-year-old Brazilian who was studying in America, had been seen by beach-goers moments earlier performing tricks 25 metres out in the waves at Newcomb Hollow Beach in the town of Wellfleet. Mr Medici 's girlfriend's brother desperately dragged him to shore where off-duty lifeguards performed CPR and made tourniquets to try and stem the bleeding. He was pronounced dead later in hospital having suffered multiple bite wounds to the legs. Joe Booth, a local fisherman who witnessed the incident, told the Cape Cod Times that he first spotted a giant eruption of water, fifteen feet wide. "I saw a tail and a lot of thrashing. You could tell by the body language of the guys in the water something wasn't right," he added. A dead great white shark on the Truro shoreline in Massachusetts, where researchers believe smaller, younger specimens are swimming closer to land increasing the risk of human encounters Credit: Ken Johnson /Atlantic White Shark Conservancy via AP "I was that guy on the beach screaming, ‘Shark, shark!’ It was like right out of that movie Jaws. This has turned into Amity Island real quick out here.” On Sunday, the beach remained closed as experts speculated on the type of shark responsible. About | Shark attacks "Based on the information I know, the highest probability is that it was a (great) white shark. I can’t think of any other species that would do this,” said Gregory Skomal, state Division of Marine Fisheries shark researcher. "Unfortunately he was in an area where the shark was hunting. When they strike with a ferocity of this nature, they believe what they are eating is an aggressive seal that can fight back. " William Lytton suffered puncture wounds to his leg and torso when he was attacked by a shark in August while swimming off a beach in Truro Credit: Steven Senne/AP The last fatal shark attack in Massachusetts was in 1936 when a 16-year-old boy was killed. But this summer there have been multiple reported sightings of Great Whites along the picturesque coastline, famous for its lighthouses and windswept beaches. William Lytton, a 61-year-old neurologist, was bitten on the leg in August and is still recovering. In an interview just last week with the Boston Globe he said he may be a little hesitant to go back in the water. "But you know, you fall off the horse, you got to get back on," he added.